The original title is a wee bit sensationalist for my tastes, but this is such a great thing.

Quote:

Cats started the Indiana State Prison cat program. One by one, over the years, they arrived, entering the prison through the bars of the North Gate, depositing litters of kittens into the eager arms and hearts of the inmates there.

Indiana State Prison is a men’s maximum security prison. Before coming here, I had mentioned my impending visit in various conversations. Concerned cat lovers had fretted over the fate of cats confined with such a rough crowd. 70% of the offenders incarcerated at Indiana State Prison are there for murder.

However, during my interviews, I found that whatever the complexities of their relationships with other people, most of the offenders in the cat program have always been animal lovers. And their devotion to their cats goes beyond providing these felines with security. These men adore their cats. Again and again, they affirmed that the cats had changed their lives, calming their anger, offering them love and teaching them about the joys and sacrifices of responsibility.

That's so awesome. I did a counseling internship at a prison, and one of the guys I saw would always talk about how the worst part of being in prison was not getting to be with his cat. He had to leave the cat with an unreliable friend who had stopped writing to him and he didn't know if he would ever see the cat again. I wish he could have adopted one in prison.